Lost kitchen essentials make ideal gifts for Orleanians getting back into their homes

By Judy Walker
Food editor

(NO RECIPES; FALL COOKBOOK RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDED)

For New Orleans area family and friends, the options for culinary gift-giving have seldom been as boundless as they are this year. If friends and family are still in recovery mode, as so many of us are, the trick is to figure out what they have yet to replace.

They've probably already got a big basic pot or kettle for boiling water -- but wouldn't they really adore a handsome gumbo pot? Cast iron is the material of choice, and from Lodge to Le Creuset, gumbo pots are available at all price points. The colored enameled ones, not cheap, are lifetime purchases. Even the overexposed Rachel Ray has her own line of enameled cast iron this year, in orange.

One place to look for gift ideas is the recipient's favorite celebrity chef. Any cook on TV worth his whisk has a marketing agreement. Emeril's pots and pans are ubiquitous; Paula Deen's small appliances are now at Wal-Mart, in case you know anyone who needs a combination egg and muffin toaster ($40). Martha Stewart's cute teapot kitchen clock ($20) and vintage-inspired pierced cake stand ($30, both at Kmart) are examples of items that are not likely to be replaced first -- perfect for gifting.

For those who want to assist the recovery by keeping their purchases in Orleans Parish, one hot item is the Desperate Housewife apron at Savvy Gourmet. Aprons have been coming back in style the past couple of years, and this stylish number ($52) is reversible, sewn in New Orleans, and cut so it suggests a waistline even for those who long ago lost the battle with rich local cuisine. The store gets 25 aprons a week, co-owner Aaron Wolfson says, and they sell out within a couple of days.

Savvy, Williams-Sonoma, Dillard's and almost all other places that carry housewares will have the one thing that instantly improves home cooking and even the taste of take-out. A good heavy-duty pepper mill is a great gift. Bump it up a notch with a salt mill, packs of peppercorns and/or fancy salts.

French kitchenware is inherently seductive, mais non? If you can't afford a Peugeot pepper mill ($45 at Williams-Sonoma) or Le Creuset cast iron (which starts at about $150 for a 3 1/2 -quart round French oven/gumbo pot) look for Emile Henry's ovenware and bakeware, made of Burgundian clay that goes to freezer, oven and microwave. With ruffled rims and cheerful colors, the pie and loaf dishes are especially attractive as well as affordable (starting at about $25).

Even if it has been a while since you shopped for kitchen gifts, you've probably noticed the prevalence of colorful silicon bakeware in the past five years. All sorts of silicone items have followed, such as tongs, pancake molds, and oven mitts that allow the cook to reach into boiling water (not that we recommend this). New this season are cunning collapsible strainers and measuring cups that flatten for storage (strainers, about $15; sets of measuring cups, $10 to $15).

For some people, a gift for the dining room might be appropriate this year, as many households in flooded areas managed to salvage at least some china, crystal and silver. As You Like It Silver Shop, 3033 Magazine St., and Melange Sterling Silver Shop, 5421 Magazine St., have active and inactive patterns and can order for you if they don't have it; www.asyoulikeitsilvershop.com has a handy guide if you need it to find the name of a pattern.

Or give a random piece of antique serveware, such as a silver cake server or sugar tongs, as a useful once and future heirloom. New Orleans Silversmiths, 600 Chartres St., has antique wine paraphernalia as well as serveware, flatware and hollowware.

If you know exactly what somebody lost, you can check out www.replacements.com, a dinnerware replacement service that boasts an inventory of more than 11 million pieces. Or visit a department or jewelry store to see a selection of china or crystal. If you want to give a new serving piece, many of the most popular old-school china patterns, such as Johnson Brothers' "Friendly Village" and Royal Albert "Old Country Roses, " offer deviled egg trays. The egg dish for the Franciscan "Desert Rose" pattern ($20 at Dillard's) is shaped like a big dusty pink rose that holds eggs on the petals.

And if you want to start somebody on a new set of china, check out the Kate Spade patterns, refreshingly updated classics. (An accent set of four tidbit plates is $80; or four salad plates is $40, also at Dillard's.) At the other end of the spectrum: Remember your first Correll dishes? Correll, the chip-resistant glass dinnerware developed in 1970, is still around and still affordable. The Spice Alley line is heavier, more like stoneware, with rounded square plates. A 16-piece set in Chili Red, with four each mugs, plates, bowls and salad plates, retails for about $50.

Sets of wine glasses are more appreciated than ever, especially when packaged with a thoughtful bottle. If it doesn't matter if the glasses match something already in the cupboard, bargain-price sets of real crystal can often be found at discount stores.

As far as tabletop decor goes, a hurricane lamp is just about the ultimate in versatility, and every store carries a different one. The recipient can decorate with it for all holidays, and use it for al fresco dining. Until, of course, hurricane season starts anew. Then, it becomes the most elegant piece of the survival kit.

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Thursday, December 7, 2006
LIVING Page 01

Wrap a recipe
When all else fails, give a cookbook

By Judy Walker
Food editor

I can't remember a holiday season when so many cookbooks were so huge, from massive reference books to all-inclusive general cooking books. And that's not even counting the updated 75th anniversary "Joy of Cooking" by Rombauer, Becker and Becker (Scribner, $30), which has 4, 500 recipes on 1, 132 pages. "Joy" is my No. 1 recommendation for cookbook gifting this year; other titles to consider follow.

GENERAL AND REFERENCE

"The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook" (Editors, America's Test Kitchen, $34.95). Compendium of 1, 200 recipes from the pages of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country, based in Massachusetts.

"Baking: From My Home to Yours, by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin, $40). The author of "Baking with Julia" shares the art she has so ably mastered.

"Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads" 30th anniversary edition (Simon & Schuster, $22). A classic now in paperback.

"Maida Heatter's Book of Great Chocolate Desserts" (Andrews McMeel, $24.95). A classic, back in print after 10 years.

INTERNATIONAL

"Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon" by Claudia Roden (Alfred A. Knopf, $35). An award-winning cookbook author wins even more acclaim with her focus on this part of the Middle East.

"Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore" by James Oseland (W.W. Norton, $35). Vivid recipes and writing from the home of nutmeg, cloves, galangal and turmeric.

"Curry Cuisine: Fragrant Dishes from India, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia" by Corinne Trang (DK Publishing, $25). Eighteen diverse regions, from the Caribbean Islands to Indonesia, are linked by their passion for curry.

"Emeril's There's a Chef in My World!" by Emeril Lagasse (HarperCollins Children's Books, $29.95). Emeril translates international dishes for the small set; if they can make naan and spanakopita, so can you.

"My Home Is Your Home" by Andrea Apuzzo with John DeMers (Vissi d'Arte Books, $39.95). The Italian-born local chef cooks for family and friends, and Kerri McCaffety photographs.

OTHER

"Barefoot Contessa at Home" by Ina Garten (Potter, $35). The beloved barefooted one comforts us again with easy elegance.

"Ultimate Bar Book: The Comprehensive Guide to Over 1, 000 Cocktails" by Mittie Hellmich (Chronicle Books, $19.95). A small book with lots of small type, attractive enough to leave at the home bar.

"What to Drink with What You Eat" by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page (Bulfinch Press, $35). The authors pair food with wine, beer, spirits, coffee, et al, and are already winning acclaim for their novel approach.